Your Right to Know

The U.S. government is paying billions to war veterans and their families, including monthly
payments to two children of Civil War veterans.

More than $40 billion a year is being paid to troops and survivors of the Civil War, the
Spanish-American War in 1898, both World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf
war, the Iraq war and the war in Afghanistan, according to an analysis by the Associated Press.

Two children of Civil War veterans — one in Tennessee, and the other in North Carolina — receive
$876 each a year.

Ten people are getting benefits, averaging about $5,000 a year, connected to the 1898
Spanish-American War.

The spouses of troops who die in wars can qualify for lifetime benefits, while children who are
younger that 18 also can receive payments. Children who are disabled before the age of 18 also may
get those benefits extended throughout their life.

The government is paying survivors of World War I veterans about $20 million a year, which is
dwarfed by the $5 billion per year paid out to World War II veterans and their families, the AP
reported.

Vietnam War payments cost about $22 billion a year. They include compensation for ailments such
as diabetes that might be linked to Agent Orange, the defoliant used by the U.S. military as part
of its chemical-warfare program.

The conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, combined with the Persian Gulf war, cost about $12
billion a year in payments to veterans and surviving family members, the AP said. Excluding medical
expenses, payments have totaled more than $50 billion since 2003.